 |
| Image Source: buildipedia.com |
Structural steel is made using one of two basic processes: Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), which produce angles, channels, and other hot-rolled shapes, and Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BOF), which produce hollow steel sections and plate steel from rolls of sheet metal. Structural steel has been used in commercial and non-residential building construction for over 50 years, and with good reason. Structural steel framing systems have numerous benefits that other types of framing, such as engineered timber and concrete, cannot provide. The following are some examples:
Strength
Structural steel has a high strength-to-weight ratio. This means that the dead weight of steel is relatively small, making it suitable for the construction of bridges, buildings, and structures located on soft ground.
Ductility
Structural steel can withstand a lot of strain and deformation before it collapses or ruptures. This characteristic, along with strength, makes structural steel-framed buildings more resistant to shocks caused by earthquakes, blasts, hurricanes, and the like.
 |
| Image Source: alibaba.com |
Ease of expansion of or addition
Structural steel buildings can have extensions or additions constructed with minimal difficulty and within a short amount of time.
Structural steel has been the market leader in construction materials for the past 30 years and, thanks to technological innovations in the steel industry that allow for greater design flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and easy availability, it will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.
 |
| Image Source: glassblower.info |
DS Pipe & Steel Supply LLC is a family-owned wholesale distributor that supplies more than 120 different industrial product lines, including structural steel angles, flats, beams, sheets, and rectangular tubes. Founded in 1979, the firm has expanded under the guidance of its president, Chris Keehner. From a one-truck operation, it has since flourished to a business that employs 110 full-time employees, a fleet of 19 trucks, and a 250,000-square foot warehouse. For more information on its services, visit its website.
